Motor vehicle steering columns commonly include a steering shaft having axial splines near an upper end thereof and a steering wheel having a splined bore which fits over the splines on the shaft. The steering wheel is retained by a nut on the shaft in the center of the steering wheel. In a proposed steering column having an alternative to the aforesaid common attachment, the steering is wheel mounted on a bushing which, in turn, is attached to the end of a steering shaft. A lateral set screw on the hub of the steering wheel seats in a notch in the bushing to prevent axial separation between the steering wheel and the bushing. A motor vehicle steering column according to this invention is an improvement relative to prior steering columns having a nut on the steering shaft in the center of the steering wheel and also relative to the prior steering column having set screw retention of the steering wheel on a hub on the steering shaft.